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A Pastoral Message from Bishop Meghan

By Vicar Lisa Rygiel

Below is a letter that was drafted by Bishop Meghan and others regarding the events of this past week in response to gender classification.

“In Christ there is no longer Jew or Greek,

no slave or free, no male or female,

for in Christ you are all one.”

--Galatians 3:28

Dear friends in Christ,

This week the President of the United States declared there are only two genders: male and female. We write today to say something which we would not think needed to be said: The president does not get to dictate human gender classification. The law does not get to dictate gender classification. Even the apostle Paul, almost two thousand years ago, knew that human-imposed definitions, such as ethnicity, social class, oppressor’s titles, or gender were not valid. Because of the unifying work of Jesus Christ, all human labels no longer apply.

We understand that each of our human brains is complex, beautiful, and elastic. We continue to evolve as individuals, and as a species. God knows us personally and intimately, even “knowing the number of hairs on your head,” according to Jesus (Luke 12:7). God knows the body, soul, and mind of each person, including, and perhaps especially those who do not fit neatly in society’s categories. Jesus defied society’s definitions and loves others who do as well.

Christians believe ALL humans are created in God’s image. We also confess that God is best revealed in the Trinity, a diverse, complex, interwoven expression. So, too, then, our human identity and expression will be diverse and interwoven. This diversity includes the myriad ways gender is understood and expressed by each human. I invite us into a broader-than-we-can comprehend God and God’s creation.

The Evangelical Lutheran in America (ELCA) wrote in its 2019 social statement Faith, Sexism and Justice: A Call to Action that Christians are called to “advocate for and support laws, policies, and practices that respect diverse bodies rather than discriminating against, objectifying, or devaluing them. Women, girls, and people who identify as non-binary must not be deprived of their human or civil rights.” (p. 60) For the president to declare someone’s gender identity does not exist is to deprive them of their very right to personhood, a basic human right.

The same ELCA social statement declares, “Studies of humans reveal rich diversity, showing that individuals do not neatly fall into two categories. Some people are intersex: their bodies are neither male nor female. People have a diversity of characteristics, most of which cannot be assigned exclusively to one sex or gender or another. Among humans, sex and gender are more accurately characterized as multidimensional.” (p.32)

For transgender, non-binary, gender queer, and non-conforming people, you are loved. To the families of those same people, know that the ELCA is not perfect or of one mind about many things, but as synod leaders we stand united in solidarity with and celebrate people of all gender expressions.

Please pray for all who are in harm’s way because of our President’s words.

 

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany – Feb. 2

10 a.m. Worship with Communion

Announcements

  • Fellowship Time: Join us after worship today in the Fellowship Hall for our First Sunday Potluck followed by our Annual Congregational Meeting.
  • Annual Congregational Meeting: Zion’s Lutheran Church will hold its Annual Congregational Meeting at 11:30 a.m. on February 2, 2025, in the fellowship hall following worship and our First Sunday Potluck. Participation is in person and via Zoom.

Topic: Zion's Annual Congregational Meeting

Time: Feb 2, 2025, 11:30 a.m. MT

Join Zoom Meeting --https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89521127634?pwd=2uMcqqlaRL0n8OQDL0kJsy8dDTZwg7.1

This is an annual event where we report on our finances, resources and committee activity. We will review and approve the budget for 2025 and elect church council members. Our church council consists of 9 members, of which 3 come up for election each year, and serve 3-year terms. If there is a part-year vacancy we will vote for someone to finish out that term. This year we will vote for three members to serve 3-year terms and one to serve a 2-year term.

Voting members are defined as confirmed members who have communed in this congregation and made a contribution of record in the current or preceding calendar year. Voting members will receive copies of the proposed budget and agenda prior to the meeting via email.  Paper copies will also be available on January 26. If you have any questions, please see Julie Wersal or Vicar Lisa.

  • Weekly Studies:
    • Zion’s weekly Bible Study continues at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29, with the continuation of The Bible from Scratch, series, focusing on The New Testament for Beginners. The class will be repeated at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1. See the newsletter for more details.
    • A study of the life and legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) began last Sunday and continues today. Join us for a soup luncheon at 12:30 p.m. followed by the study from 1 to 2 p.m., in the Fellowship Hall. In addition, the study is repeated at 10:30 a.m. each Tuesday via Zoom. Contact Becky McNeil for details.
  • 2025 Church Directory: It’s time to update information for the 2025 Church Directory. If you have updates to your information or photo, let Julie Wersal know no later than Feb. 3.

E-formation – The 4th Sunday After Epiphany -- Feb. 2

During these weeks between Epiphany and Lent, we glimpse more and more of the loving intention of God. God’s love to the boy Jeremiah, the Jews of Capernaum, the Phoenician widow, and the Syrian general is to be seen now within the loving community of Christ.

Luke 4:21-30

Continuing from last week’s gospel, today’s gospel repeats its last verse, thus epitomizing the semicontinuous reading of Luke we now undertake. Whether we identify with the Jews worshiping faithfully in the synagogue or with the outsiders in Phoenicia or Syria, Christ comes to be our loving Savior, our liberator, our healer. Like the widow, we are fed, and like Naaman, we are cleansed in the water.

Jeremiah 1:4-10

The call of Jeremiah is set next to the reading in Luke 4 to intensify the identification of Jesus with the tradition of prophets, those who like Elijah, Elisha, and Jeremiah were called to the task of speaking the word of God. Christians have appreciated this particular call narrative as an indication of God’s attention to even children. All the baptized are called to speak the things of God to others.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

It is not easy to comment on 1 Corinthians 13 without getting merely gushy. The passage proclaims the love of God in Christ as now enlivening the community. Although called to faith while young children, believers are expected to grow up, to live into adulthood in lives that access and express the full love of God.

Zion's Lutheran Church

A Reconciling in Christ Community

zionsluth@gmail.com

719-846-7785